Mat Coch writes:

Felipe Massa rolled the dice in qualifying by opting to use the hard tyre, while those around him used the medium compound Pirelli.

The Brazilian set the sixth fastest time in the final phase of qualifying, though with penalties for both Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton will ultimately line up fourth on the grid.

"I saw the possibility to gain position from two cars which will lose position," he explained after the session. "It's a gamble; maybe it works, maybe not. We don't know. If it works it can be a very good thing for tomorrow."

Understood to be about half a second a lap slower around the Sakhir circuit, what the hard compound lacks in outright pace is made up for in longevity.

With all things going to plan Massa should lose minimal time early in the race, perhaps a handful of seconds, before those ahead of him pit. He should then find himself leading the race while the pit stops play out, the question being whether, with perhaps ten laps more on his tyres, Massa can remain at the head of the class.

It suggests Ferrari will bolt a pair of the faster medium compound tyres on for the final stint, which with a lower fuel level would provide better performance for longer.

Another potential benefit is it puts the 31-year-old (who turns 32 on Thursday) out of sequence with teammate Fernando Alonso, thereby eliminating the possibility of him getting the raw end of the Ferrari pit stop equation.

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